Three-alarm fire in Bells Corners ends with building collapse
Posted Apr 1, 2025 09:32:24 AM.
Last Updated Apr 1, 2025 03:26:44 PM.
Crews battled a three-alarm fire in Bells Corners at an under-construction apartment building in difficult conditions as they tried to preserve nearby structures.
Teams were called at 4:38 a.m. on Tuesday from a monitoring company reporting active alarms in the 0-100 block of Northside Road in the Bells Corners community. Further calls were received from Ottawa paramedics who were in the area, saying they could smell smoke and see flames coming from a nearby building.
Within four minutes, firefighters were on scene, seeing a five-storey, unoccupied building that was fully ablaze. The 53 units were full of smoke and fire. The strong winds created “shooting embers” that could spread to nearby buildings.
Ten minutes later a second alarm was called to dispatch more resources to the scene.
“Firefighters had multiple hose lines on every side of the structure and the exposure structures,” Nick DeFazio, media relations officer, said. “Several aerial ladders were on scene to attack the fire from above.”
The flames spread to the roof of a small single-storey commercial building behind the apartments. The risk of the whole under-construction structure collapsing prompted a third alarm to be called at 4:57 a.m.
At approx. 04:38 this morning, the Ottawa Fire Services Communications Division received a call from a monitoring company reporting active fire alarms in the 0-100 block of Northside Rd. Subsequent calls were received from our partners at @OttawaParamedic who were in the area… https://t.co/xW8Tm0fYpL pic.twitter.com/XVl11GWU5a
— Ottawa Fire Services (@OttFire) April 1, 2025
Teams had a heavy focus on protecting a Davidson Hearing Aid Centre and a church in the area. Nearby homeowners were also telling firefighters that embers were flying and hitting the roofs of their homes. Crews advised residents that they would tell them if they needed to evacuate.
At 5:45 a.m., the building collapsed, and a small one-story building behind the apartment building fully caught fire.
The windows to the church failed due to the high heat, but firefighters say they were able to mostly prevent damage. The Davidson Hearing Aid Centre was also spared.
An excavator was called to the scene to sift through and remove the debris and crews remained in the area, going door-to-door, checking for carbon monoxide in homes.
An Ottawa fire investigator has been dispatched to the scene. The fire was declared under control at 2:29 p.m.
